Toggle search
Toggle menu
5.4K
6.1K
230
53K
VR & AR Wiki
Toggle preferences menu
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Minecraft

vrarwiki.com · VR & AR Wiki
More actions
Minecraft
Information
VR/AR Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality
Developer Mojang
Platform Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality, PlayStation VR
Device Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Windows Mixed Reality Headsets, PlayStation VR
Type Game
Genre Sandbox
Input Device Gamepad, Oculus Touch
Game Mode Single-player, Multiplayer
Release Date May 2009 (alpha); 2011 (1.0 release); official VR support 2016 to 2025
Website https://www.minecraft.net/

Minecraft is a block-based sandbox video game created by Mojang. It launched as a free alpha in May 2009 and reached its official 1.0 release in 2011.[1] Guinness World Records lists it as the best-selling video game, with more than 350 million units sold as of April 2025, a figure Mojang confirmed in the official Minecraft Annual 2026.[1] Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire the Stockholm-based studio and the Minecraft franchise for US$2.5 billion on 15 September 2014.[2]

Minecraft has a long history with virtual reality and augmented reality. Fan mods brought it to the Oculus Rift DK1 before any official release. Official VR support later arrived on Samsung Gear VR and Oculus Rift in 2016, Windows Mixed Reality headsets in 2017 and PlayStation VR in 2020.[3] Mojang ended that support in 2025.[4] Microsoft demonstrated a version for Microsoft HoloLens at E3 2015, and Mojang ran the location-based mobile AR game Minecraft Earth from 2019 until 30 June 2021.[5][6] Since then, VR play has relied on unofficial Java Edition projects such as Vivecraft and QuestCraft.[3]

This page covers Minecraft as a whole and its VR and AR history. The 2016 VR editions are also described at Minecraft (Virtual Reality).

Reviewed 27 September 2026. Checked every cited source for the release, VR/AR platform, pricing, date, quote and end-of-support claims (Guinness, Microsoft, TechCrunch, Road to VR, UploadVR, PCWorld, MIXED, Minecraft.net changelogs and articles, PlayStation Blog, Newsweek, GeekWire, Engadget, Vivecraft and QuestCraft pages). About review dates.

Early VR mods and the cancelled Oculus deal

Unofficial VR versions of Minecraft predate any official release. According to UploadVR, VR mods for the game have existed since 2014, when "Minecrift" added support for the original Oculus Rift Development Kit (DK1).[3] The Vivecraft project gives its own origin as 2013, when Minecrift was started by the modders mabrowning and StellaArtois; it was renamed Vivecraft in mid-2016.[7]

Mojang had also discussed an official Rift version. On 25 March 2014, after Facebook announced its acquisition of Oculus, Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson wrote on Twitter: "We were in talks about maybe bringing a version of Minecraft to Oculus. I just cancelled that deal. Facebook creeps me out."[8] In a follow-up blog post he wrote that "Facebook has a history of caring about building user numbers, and nothing but building user numbers."[8] Microsoft's announcement of the Mojang purchase later that year quoted Mojang CEO Carl Manneh, who said the founders would "move on to start new projects".[2]

Official virtual reality support

Announcement at Oculus Connect 2

Official VR support was announced after the Microsoft acquisition. At the Oculus Connect 2 keynote on 24 September 2015, Palmer Luckey announced that Minecraft would get official Oculus Rift support in spring 2016.[9] Xbox Wire said the same day that Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition would support the Rift and be sold in both the Windows Store and the Oculus Store, with Creative and Survival modes playable "in full 3D".[10]

Gear VR Edition (2016)

The first official VR release was Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, which launched on the Oculus Store for Samsung Gear VR on 27 April 2016 at US$6.99.[11] Road to VR described the release as the first result of Oculus' partnership with Microsoft to bring Minecraft to VR. It had all the features of Pocket Edition, including Creative and Survival modes, skins and multiplayer.[12] Players could use a first-person view or a comfort mode that shows the game on a virtual screen inside a Minecraft-themed living room. A separately sold gamepad was required.[12][11] At launch, Oculus CTO John Carmack said that "my strongest memories of being inside VR are from the time I've spent exploring Minecraft on Gear VR."[12] According to UploadVR, updates for the Gear VR version stopped in 2020, soon after the headset itself, although owners can still play singleplayer.[3]

Oculus Rift (2016)

Rift support shipped later than the spring 2016 target. Road to VR reported on 12 August 2016 that Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition v0.15.6 would add it the following week, with support for the Oculus Touch controllers to come later in 2016. Players would be able to share servers across Rift, Gear VR and PC versions.[13] The beta update became available on 15 August 2016 through the Windows 10 store and the Oculus Store. The beta was free, the full version cost US$9.99, and existing owners got the update at no charge.[14] The Rift version had an immersive mode (the default) and a "virtual living room" mode, plus stepped turning in 22.5-degree increments to reduce discomfort while moving.[14]

Touch support arrived in December 2016, two weeks after the controllers launched. UploadVR's Jamie Feltham found that the controllers "really just work as pointers": players aimed with them but still pressed a button to mine or attack instead of swinging their hands.[15]

Windows Mixed Reality (2017)

On 21 November 2017, a Minecraft update for Windows 10 added support for Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Mojang noted that headsets were available from several manufacturers, including Samsung, Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo, and that setup mostly meant plugging the headset into a USB port.[16]

PlayStation VR (2020)

PlayStation VR support came to the PlayStation 4 version on 22 September 2020 as a free update for existing owners. It required a PlayStation VR headset and a PlayStation Camera.[17][18] Writing on the PlayStation Blog, Roger Carpenter said the PS VR version was "based on the Minecraft VR tech that we developed for other VR platforms a few years back", and that SkyBox Labs converted and optimized that technology for PS VR. Players used the DualShock 4 controller, as in the standard game.[19]

Mojang's launch article described the two modes. Living Room mode puts the player in a Minecraft living room and shows the game in 2D on a large virtual television; Immersive mode shows the world through the character's eyes. Console producer Damian Finn said the team expected "99% of players" to use Immersive mode. He also called player comfort the team's biggest challenge and said that everything in Bedrock Minecraft on PS4 could be played on PS VR.[17] The update also added settings for tuning VR comfort.[17]

Summary of official VR platforms

Platform Official support added Notes
Samsung Gear VR 27 April 2016 Minecraft: Gear VR Edition, US$6.99, gamepad required[11]; updates ended in 2020[3]
Oculus Rift 15 August 2016 (beta) Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition v0.15.6[13][14]; Oculus Touch support December 2016[15]
Windows Mixed Reality 21 November 2017 Windows 10 update[16]
PlayStation VR 22 September 2020 Free PS4 update; PlayStation Camera required[17]

End of official VR support

Mojang announced the end of VR support in two steps. The Bedrock Edition 1.21.30 changelog of 17 September 2024 said that support for PlayStation VR "has come to an end, and will no longer be supported in updates after March of 2025", and that players could keep playing on PlayStation without the headset.[20] The 1.21.40 changelog of 22 October 2024 extended the notice to all headsets: "Our ability to support VR/MR devices has come to an end, and will no longer be supported in updates after March of 2025, when you will receive your final update." Marketplace purchases, including Minecoins, would stay usable on a normal monitor.[21][22]

VR support was removed from Bedrock Edition in version 1.21.80, released in May 2025.[4] UploadVR reported that the update removed official support for both PC VR and PlayStation VR, which left no official way to play Minecraft in VR on PlayStation.[3] At the time, UploadVR noted that playing in VR on Meta Quest standalone headsets required sideloading the unofficial QuestCraft port.[3]

Augmented reality

HoloLens demonstration (2015)

At E3 in June 2015, Microsoft showed a version of Minecraft made for its HoloLens headset. The demo could show the game in 2D on a surface such as a wall or as a 3D model on a table. Players could look inside and around the block world, and the HoloLens player could manipulate the environment.[5] Pocket-lint reported that the headset wearer could pinch and move the world with gestures and give voice commands; in the demo, a spoken command made the view follow another player who was playing on a tablet.[23] No consumer release followed. In June 2016 Newsweek noted that Microsoft had presented Oculus, not HoloLens, as the new way to play Minecraft at E3 2016. Microsoft told the magazine that "the first version will focus on developers and enterprise scenarios."[24]

Minecraft Earth (2019-2021)

Microsoft unveiled Minecraft Earth, a free-to-play AR game for iOS and Android, on 17 May 2019. GeekWire presented it as Microsoft's answer to Pokémon GO.[25][26] Players could build structures together that others could see in AR and take part in life-sized adventures with enemies.[26] According to GeekWire, the game used Azure Spatial Anchors to place players in the same space and tie items and adventures to real locations, Microsoft's PlayFab for backend services, and OpenStreetMap for its map. Its core AR functions ran on ARCore and ARKit.[25]

Early access began in New Zealand and Iceland in October 2019. Mojang's early access page listed features such as buildplates that make an interactive Minecraft diorama, "tappables" found on the map that give resources and mobs, and combat "adventures".[27][28]

On 5 January 2021, Mojang announced it would end the game because the game "was designed around free movement and collaborative play", two things it said had become "near impossible in the current global situation." The final update removed real-money transactions and cut ruby costs. Service ended on 30 June 2021. Players with paid ruby balances received Minecoins, and anyone who had made a purchase got a free copy of the Bedrock version of Minecraft.[6]

Community VR projects

The community projects that still run Minecraft in VR are built on Minecraft: Java Edition. Vivecraft is a Java Edition mod for room-scale or seated play. It works with SteamVR-compatible headsets such as the HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus Rift S and Windows Mixed Reality headsets. It adds motion-controller combat, two-handed bows, arc teleport and free movement, and multiplayer in which players can see each other's VR movements.[7] In its December 2016 look at official Touch support, UploadVR pointed to Vivecraft as the mod that "allows you to actually swing your hands around to mine and fight enemies in-game."[15]

QuestCraft is an unofficial standalone port of Java Edition that combines Vivecraft with the Pojlib launcher library. Its developers list support for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 as well as the Pico Neo 3 and Pico 4. Players need their own copy of Java Edition and install the app by sideloading, for example through SideQuest.[29] The MIXED report on the end of official support said that Vivecraft and QuestCraft should not be affected.[22] UploadVR said in 2025 that QuestCraft's performance "isn't great" and that it does not support the latest version of the game.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Best-selling videogame". Guinness World Records. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-video-game. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Minecraft to join Microsoft". Microsoft Source. Microsoft. 2014-09-15. https://news.microsoft.com/source/2014/09/15/minecraft-to-join-microsoft/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 David Heaney (2025-05-06). "Minecraft No Longer Officially Supports VR". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/minecraft-no-longer-officially-supports-vr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mark Hachman (2025-05-06). "Minecraft officially kills support for VR". PCWorld. https://www.pcworld.com/article/2773555/minecraft-officially-kills-support-for-vr.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Darrell Etherington (2015-06-15). "Microsoft Reveals Dedicated Version Of Minecraft For HoloLens". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/15/microsoft-reveals-dedicated-version-of-minecraft-for-hololens/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Minecraft Earth Coming to an End". Minecraft.net. Mojang. 2021-01-05. https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-earth-coming-end. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Vivecraft". Vivecraft. http://www.vivecraft.org/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Darrell Etherington (2014-03-25). "Minecraft Creator Cancels The Oculus Rift Version Because Facebook "Creeps" Him Out". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/03/25/minecraft-creator-cancels-the-oculus-rift-version-because-facebook-creeps-him-out/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. ↑ Paul James (2015-09-24). "Minecraft Windows 10 Edition is Coming to Oculus Rift Spring 2016". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/minecraft-windows-10-edition-is-coming-to-oculus-rift-spring-2016-breaking/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. ↑ "Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition is Coming to Oculus Rift". Xbox Wire. Microsoft. 2015-09-24. https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2015/09/24/games-minecraft-windows-10-edition-coming-to-oculus-rift/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Minecraft Now Available on Oculus for Gear VR". Oculus Blog. Meta Platforms. 2016-04-27. https://www.meta.com/blog/minecraft-now-available-on-oculus-for-gear-vr/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Paul James (2016-04-27). "Minecraft for Gear VR Now Available, Brings First Person and Comfort Modes". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/minecraft-for-gear-vr-now-available-brings-first-person-and-comfort-modes/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ben Lang (2016-08-12). "Minecraft for Oculus Rift Next Week, Touch Support Later in 2016". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/minecraft-oculus-rift-release-date-oculus-touch-support/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Paul James (2016-08-15). "Minecraft Windows 10 Beta with Oculus Rift Support is Out Now". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/minecraft-beta-vr-launches-for-oculus-rift/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Jamie Feltham (2016-12-21). "'Minecraft' Finally Gets Touch Support, But It Doesn't Change Much". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/minecraft-finally-gets-touch-support-but-it-doesnt-change-much/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Marsh Davies (2017-11-21). "Minecraft now on Windows Mixed Reality!". Minecraft.net. Mojang. https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-now-windows-mixed-reality. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Cristina Anderca (2020-09-22). "Minecraft gets PlayStation VR support". Minecraft.net. Mojang. https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-gets-playstation-vr. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. ↑ Harry Baker (2020-09-22). "Minecraft Is Now Available For PSVR As A Free Update". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/minecraft-psvr-now-available/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. ↑ Roger Carpenter (2020-09-07). "Minecraft adds PS VR support this month". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. https://blog.playstation.com/2020/09/07/minecraft-adds-ps-vr-support-this-month/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  20. ↑ Jay Wells (2024-09-17). "Minecraft 1.21.30 Bedrock Changelog". Minecraft.net. Mojang. https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-1-21-30-bedrock-changelog. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  21. ↑ Jay Wells (2024-10-22). "Minecraft 1.21.40 Bedrock Changelog". Minecraft.net. Mojang. https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-1-21-40-bedrock-changelog. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Tomislav Bezmalinovic (2024-10-23). "Minecraft to drop support for PC VR headsets next year". MIXED. https://mixed-news.com/en/minecraft-pc-vr-support-ending-soon/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  23. ↑ Luke Edwards (2015-06-15). "Microsoft HoloLens Minecraft shown off with stunning augmented reality 3D at E3 2015 (video)". Pocket-lint. https://www.pocket-lint.com/games/news/xbox/134271-microsoft-hololens-minecraft-shown-off-with-stunning-augmented-reality-3d-at-e3-2015-video/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  24. ↑ Seung Lee (2016-06-21). "What Happened to Microsoft's Dream of Playing Video Games Using HoloLens?". Newsweek. https://www.newsweek.com/what-happened-microsofts-dream-playing-video-games-using-hololens-472496. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Nat Levy (2019-05-17). "Look out, Pokémon Go: Microsoft unveils new Minecraft Earth augmented reality game". GeekWire. https://www.geekwire.com/2019/look-pokemon-go-microsoft-unveils-new-minecraft-earth-augmented-reality-game/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Devindra Hardawar (2019-05-17). "'Minecraft Earth' makes the world your augmented reality playground". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/17/minecraft-earth-ar-iphone-android-hands-on/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  27. ↑ Harry Baker (2019-10-21). "Minecraft Earth Early Access Begins, Available In New Zealand And Iceland". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/minecraft-earth-early-access/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  28. ↑ Tom Stone (2019-11-18). "Minecraft Earth Early Access". Minecraft.net. Mojang. https://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-earth-early-access. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  29. ↑ "QuestCraft". GitHub. QuestCraftPlusPlus. https://github.com/QuestCraftPlusPlus/QuestCraft. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
Retrieved from "https://vrarwiki.com/index.php?title=Minecraft&oldid=46889"